Canada: The Story of Us - The conversation continues

April 6, 2017

As Canada's public broadcaster we strive to create stories about Canada and Canadians. Some create more robust discussions than others and we fully recognize the first three episodes of this series have yielded reactions from different voices and we are sensitive to what we are hearing. Whenever you recount a country's history, there will inevitably be citizens, historians and politicians who will have different points of view.

We also recognize that not everyone will agree with every perspective presented. Our intention was never to offend anyone or any group, nor diminish the importance of any of the stories that were not included. We regret that some people have felt misrepresented.

We respect the creative process and understand the challenges that came with producing Canada: The Story of Us. The same format has been used successfully around the world to tell the history of other countries. While it’s never easy to capture a country’s past in just ten hours telling only 50 stories, it’s also an opportunity to look at Canada’s history in an different way, one which we believe will entertain and engage the broadest possible audience. Thousands of difficult editorial decisions were made as to what to include and the focus was deliberately placed on stories that haven't often been told before or that can be told from a new perspective. Indigenous stories and female-led ones, with prominent Canadian artists, architects, business leaders and athletes speaking about what it means to be Canadian.

We are listening to those who have already expressed concerns about the series and we will continue listening. Every week, we will be holding live digital conversations in English and in French, giving Canadians a weekly forum to further engage with subject matter experts about the content of this series. Some of this feedback will be incorporated into any educational material that will become available after the series airs.

We are committed to connecting Canadians to their country and to their history and Canada: The Story of Us is only one in CBC/Radio-Canada’s extensive programming line up for Canada 150. It is not a remake of the documentary series Canada: A People’s History – recently made available online, and to which we’re adding two new episodes later this Spring. Together with CBC’s robust online library of historical content and new initiatives like What’s your story? we hope Canadians will learn more about our past, celebrate the present and help shape the vision for Canada’s future.